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I came across this motivational quote recently, and found it very inspirational.

Are you doing the most useful thing
You could be doing right now
If not why not?​

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I sometimes ask myself this and don't really know the answer to "why not?"

By continually asking myself this I've helped myself to improve my focus, which actually helps me enjoy my work more, because I have the satisfaction of getting things done that move me closer to my goal.

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I think that this is the same thing as saying, "There's a time and place for everything.". When it's time for work, then it's time to work. When you're tired, then it's time to rest and relax.

Anyway, I think that I have a very bad habit of procrastinating so the answer to that question is no. When it's lunchtime, I sometimes postpone this for 1 or more hours to do more work. I seem to put more importance on work that I'm not doing the most useful thing at that particular moment which is to eat and take a break.

Thanks for that motivational quote or question, Fergal. I'll try to make it a point to not procrastinate so I'll be able to answer 'yes' to that question most of the time.

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Are you doing the most useful thing
You could be doing right now
If not why not?

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I like that, Fergal. I don't know where my time goes some days either. For example, I got up at 3.30am this morning and it's now 1.19pm. If you were to ask me what I've achieved, I don't have much to point to but I know I've been busy! I get too easily distracted and feel frustrated at the day's end sometimes.

There's a great article I read the other day at Freelance Switch, in fact a series of them called Holding Yourself Accountable. That's the first part. I like how she thinks.

1. My “Gotta-Do” list. It’s not a “To-Do” list. Those aren’t strong enough for distract-o-matics like Yours Truly.
2. My Daily Accountability Questions. There are only two of them. And I don’t consider the workday closed until I’ve answered both.

... 1. What did I do to make money today?
... 2. What did I do to bring in business today?

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While it's aimed at freelancers, it can easily be adapted for small business owners too I feel. There are four parts to the series - just click at the bottom of the post to see the others. Each is devoted to a different timespan - daily, weekly, monthly and yearly. It's reading posts like these that distract me!

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Very nice article Kay, thanks for sharing that with us. I do like the idea of a Gotta Do list. I've been using a version of this recently and so far it is working very well for me.

I select three projects that I'm going to focus on for the week and then write the main tasks that I want to complete for each project. I pick the most important tasks for each project and these become my Gotta Do list for the week.

These tasks are my greatest priority for the week and I focus on them before all else, they are vital tasks in moving my project forward and I'm becoming very disciplined in not letting anything distract me from them. It is of the utmost importance to me that I complete these tasks and I work hard to ensure that they are done.

I've only started with this approach so I don't overload myself with work to do and I'm not over ambitious as regards to what I can get done in a week. The vital thing is that I get a few vital jobs complete, that will move me towards topic completion. It is an approach that is most certainly helping to keep me focused.

It is very satisfying to get to the end of the week and to have completed everything you set out to complete. I would go as far as to say that this kind of approach can lead to a happier more balanced life.

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Nice article Kay. Aside from holding yourself accountable to yourself, I think that it's also good to make yourself accountable to other people. There are some people who do better if they're accountable to other people, especially to a loved one. We tend to be more responsible when we're accountable to someone we love.

A good example of this is a classmate of mine during my school days. She's always been considered as average in school and is always telling me that she'll put in more effort in studying but doesn't. The time that she got a boyfriend and made him a promise to study harder was the time that she got straight A's in all her subjects.

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Very nice article Kay, thanks for sharing that with us. I do like the idea of a Gotta Do list. I've been using a version of this recently and so far it is working very well for me.

I select three projects that I'm going to focus on for the week and then write the main tasks that I want to complete for each project. I pick the most important tasks for each project and these become my Gotta Do list for the week.

These tasks are my greatest priority for the week and I focus on them before all else, they are vital tasks in moving my project forward and I'm becoming very disciplined in not letting anything distract me from them. It is of the utmost importance to me that I complete these tasks and I work hard to ensure that they are done.

I've only started with this approach so I don't overload myself with work to do and I'm not over ambitious as regards to what I can get done in a week. The vital thing is that I get a few vital jobs complete, that will move me towards topic completion. It is an approach that is most certainly helping to keep me focused.

It is very satisfying to get to the end of the week and to have completed everything you set out to complete. I would go as far as to say that this kind of approach can lead to a happier more balanced life.

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That sounds more like my cup of tea, Fergal. I seriously need to find a more productive way of working and balance because everything is about work now and little else. If I didn't have my Backpack, I'd really be in trouble! I think I'll give yours a whirl next week and try use the time between then and now to clear the decks best I can. Thanks for the tip!

Nice article Kay. Aside from holding yourself accountable to yourself, I think that it's also good to make yourself accountable to other people. There are some people who do better if they're accountable to other people, especially to a loved one. We tend to be more responsible when we're accountable to someone we love.

A good example of this is a classmate of mine during my school days. She's always been considered as average in school and is always telling me that she'll put in more effort in studying but doesn't. The time that she got a boyfriend and made him a promise to study harder was the time that she got straight A's in all her subjects.

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Nazreen, I was writing an article on that very subject for my blog just the other day. I've not posted it yet but it touched on involving all the family in saving or making money and gathering the kids at dinner to ask who'd done what to help out that day. Even if it's just a wee one closing a door to keep a room warm or saving a soda can to be cashed in, it's something. Just knowing they'll be asked about it can be enough to make them do something, you're right. Sometimes I think that's one of the hardest things about flying solo in business - when you don't have anyone to answer to but yourself.

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Kay, please post back and let us know how you are getting on, we might be able to offer some helpful suggestions.

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Shall do, Fergal, thanks. I'm feeling a bit more motivated today after the PR thing brightening me up. I'm sure I'll get there. Some days are just like wading through treacle though while others are like walking on air!

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I can't do anything but in this house, Fergal! My husband's Christmas daft, he loves it. He's a great example of what we were talking about happiness being contagious because his enthusiasm is infectious. I did make him buy new Christmas CDs the other day though because I was sick already listening to the ones we have!

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At the end of the day, I also ask myself whether I've accomplished my tasks and goals for the day. If the answer is no, then I have to say that I'm not doing what I'm supposed to be doing. It's either that or my tasks and goals are not doable or realistic.

We might be feeling guilty at the end of the day for not doing what we're supposed to be doing but I think that if we're not too hard on ourselves, then it should be okay. We just have to make sure that we do better the following day.

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There's a lesson in it related to the theme of this thread. Try to focus on doing what you should be doing.

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I'd watch it but I'm too busy procrastinating.

Just kidding...but ouch, that was close to the bone! The " I figured I'd take an extra minute to clean my desk" logic is me all over. I start by wiping a surface and ending up scrubbing whole rooms and rearranging furniture.
Suddenly a five minute job has taken two hours AND I still didn't start what I meant to. I hate those days!

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Isn't it ironic that he's actually doing so many things so that he can get his stuff done? So instead of getting his stuff done, this guy has managed to clean his desk, buy some groceries, watch tv and a whole lot of other stuff. This is quite hilarious but seriously speaking, this reminds me of myself sometimes.

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LOL, tell you what, you do all my other work that gets neglected while I'm doing that and I'll get my mum to fly over with mop and bucket in hand since she's closer. You couldn't afford my travelling expenses.

Sometimes our ego also plays a part in why we don't want to do these tasks. We find that these tasks are just not what someone in our position should be doing. Like the olden days, men considered housework like cleaning the house and doing laundry as unmanly.

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I think the quote points to the fact that we often become distracted by things we "think" we should be doing, but don't necessarily need to do. Distraction, procrastination, etc. are all ways for us to avoid what is really required at that moment. I'm not a Buddhist, but I do try and follow the "be here now" mantra - especially when it comes to prioritizing business endeavors.

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